In a Vase: New Faces

Today's vase was a treat to do, especially as it contains flowers I've not used before. My sister offered me some of her wonderful nasturtiums, and I used quite a few.

Then there was the Iceland poppy, from a potful purchased last Friday.

And in the same shopping spree I picked up Euphorbia x martinii "Ascot Rainbow". It was something between a well-thought-out purchase and an impulse buy, as I have wanted to try one of the
non-thorny Euphorbias and this was the first that I have found for sale. I am really not sure how it will like conditions here, but I will put it in the ground and find out!

Here it is with Lavandula dentata.

There is plenty of lavender right now. L. dentata has performed magnificently all winter, but there is also still plenty of L. x "Goodwin's Creek Gray"...

I also used plumes of Senna nemophila. It is winding down a very long bloom season, but there is still plenty of flower.

And there are stems of Justicia californica to add some dashes of red.

There is also a plant I have had for a long time but not gotten to use for many months: Eremophila x "Outback Sunrise". It is a groundcover plant, woody at the center and apparently capable
of spreading indefinitely with even a little bit of water. I was forced to remove it (or most of it) from the South Border last year, and I transfered some rooted stems to the East Border,
where its sulphur yellow blooms are in keeping with the overall color scheme - which was certainly not true in its previous location! The East Border is broader as well, and I hope to keep
the plant satisfactorily in check here, as it has many good qualities.

Among these are deep green, weed-defying foliage and quietly pretty greenish yellow blooms. Here it is with the new Euphorbia.

So, what with borrowed flowers and new and old ones, I had a vaseful of bright yellow and orange. I used one of my handthrown dark-glazed vases, which worked well with all that color.

The flowers - old and new - make a beautiful vase. It's a lovely color combination and has me wishing I'd thought to add a touch of blue to my own orange and yellow vase this week. I hope the
Euphorbia works in your setting. I've used it a few times (I have 3 plants currently) but it hasn't been a long-lived plant for me. The good-bad news is that it doesn't seem to self-seed as rampantly
as some Euphorbias.

I thought your vase was perfectly gorgeous without any blue, Kris ;-) It was nice to be able to use the lavender in this one, though - there's so much of it and more with the stoechas varieties just
coming into bloom too. I'll have to wait and see on the Euphorbia. I can easily imagine it giving up by the middle of June here, but I've wanted to give it a try for a long time so was bound to come
home with one eventually...!

Cathy - I've gotten a late start with the nasturtiums, but I'm looking forward to growing them regularly in future because they are such cheerful things :) So glad you like the vase too; this was one
I made soon after I began IaVoM, which has taught me a lot about what I do and don't like in vase shapes... ;-)

Alison - Thanks so much for stopping by :) Yes, the climate differences make for some strange bloom seasons! I'm still struggling to learn when to plant the annuals especially; luckily for me my
sister got it right with the nasturtiums... ;-)

Joanna - Thanks so much! Yes, it's a lot easier for me to get summery vases now than it will be come June... ;-) So glad you like it and the vase, which I made a couple of years ago, handthrown, then
glazed with a dark iron-bearing glaze which I use quite a bit now :)

Brian - For me it was bachelor's buttons; perhaps I should get some seed ;-) But nasturtiums are wonderful... so cheery! I am hoping to get them established in the East Border over the next few
years. I think it's far enough along now to get the annuals going on a regular basis :)

The subtle shades of the nasturtiums and Iceland poppy work really well with the zingy euphorbia and the yellow senna and blues of the lavender - and the overall shape of the arrangement looks so
good in another of your lovelythrown vases. I have bought some 'pink' nasturtium this year, with a view to them weaving through some of the borders... ps sorry to always be 'late' commenting - I tend
to have a bit of a rest after a busy Monday on IAVOM! ;)

Thanks so much, Cathy! I look forward to seeing your 'pink' nasturtiums; my sister is kindly saving seed from a lovely butter yellow that came up among her seedlings. No worry about the commenting
time; I am generally late in posting, after all... ;-)

A small garden in the English style, set in the wilds of the northern Sonoran Desert